Mitomycin (Generic Name)

Other Names: Mitomycin C, Mutamycin®

About This Drug

Mitomycin is a drug used to treat cancer. This drug is given in the vein (IV).

Possible Side Effects (More Common)

Nausea and throwing up (vomiting). These symptoms may happen within a few hours after your treatment and may last up to 24 hours. Medicines are available to stop or lessen these side effects.

Fever

Decreased appetite (decreased hunger)

Bone marrow depression. This is a decrease in the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This may raise your risk of infection, make you tired and weak (fatigue), and raise your risk of bleeding.

Hair loss: Hair loss is often complete scalp hair loss and can involve loss of eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair. You may notice this a few days or weeks after treatment has started. Most often hair loss is temporary; your hair should grow back when treatment is done.

Darkening of the skin or nails

Inflammation (swelling) of the lungs. You may have a dry cough or trouble breathing.

Possible Side Effects (Less Common)

Soreness of the mouth and throat. You may have red areas, white patches, or sores that hurt.

Skin and tissue irritation. You may have redness, pain, warmth, or swelling at the IV site. This irritation happens if the drug leaks out of the vein and into nearby tissue.

This drug may affect how your kidneys work. Your kidney function will be checked as needed.

Electrolyte changes. Your blood will be checked for electrolyte changes as needed.

Rash

Cough

Effects on the nerves are called peripheral neuropathy. You may feel numbness, tingling, or pain in your hands and feet. It may be hard for you to button your clothes, open jars, or walk as usual. The effect on the nerves may get worse with more doses of the drug. These effects get better in some people after the drug is stopped but it does not get better in all people.

Treating Side Effects

Drink 6-8 cups of fluids each day unless your doctor has told you to limit your fluid intake due to some other health problem. A cup is 8 ounces of fluid. If you throw up or have loose bowel movements you should drink more fluids so that you do not become dehydrated (lack water in the body due to losing too much fluid).

Ask your doctor or nurse about medicines that can help to stop or lessen nausea, vomiting, or a sore mouth or throat.

Mouth care is very important. Your mouth care should consist of routine, gentle cleaning of your teeth or dentures and rinsing your mouth with a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water or ½ teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of water. This should be done at least after each meal and at bedtime.

If you have mouth sores, avoid mouthwash that has alcohol. Also avoid alcohol and smoking because they can bother your mouth and throat.

Talk with your nurse about getting a wig before you lose your hair. Also, call the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345 to find out information about the “Look Good, Feel Better” program close to where you live. It is a free program where women getting chemotherapy can learn about wigs, turbans and scarves as well as makeup techniques and skin and nail care.

If you have numbness and tingling in your hands and feet, be careful when cooking, walking, and handling sharp objects and hot liquids.

Food and Drug Interactions

There are no known interactions of Mitomycin with food. This drug may interact with other medicines. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the medicines and dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs and others) that you are taking at this time. The safety and use of dietary supplements and alternative diets are often not known. Using these might affect your cancer or interfere with your treatment. Until more is known, you should not use dietary supplements or alternative diets without your cancer doctor's help.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms:

Fever of 100.5 F (38 C) or higher

Chills

Easy bleeding or bruising

Wheezing or trouble breathing

Rash or itching

Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

Loose bowel movements (diarrhea) more than 4 times in one day or diarrhea with weakness or lightheadedness

Pain when passing urine; blood in urine

Pain in your lower back or side

Feeling confused or agitated

Nausea that stops you from eating or drinking

Throwing up more than 3 times in one day

Chest pain or symptoms of a heart attack. Most heart attacks involve pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. The pain may go away and come back. It can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Sometimes pain is felt in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. If any of these symptoms last 2 minutes, call 911.

Symptoms of a stroke such as sudden numbness or weakness of your face, arm, or leg, mostly on one side of your body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, feeling dizzy, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden, bad headache with no known cause. If you have any of these symptoms for 2 minutes, call 911.

Call your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if any of these symptoms happen:

Trouble walking or changes in the way you walk, feeling clumsy when buttoning clothes, opening jars, or other routine hand motions

Swelling of legs, ankles, or feet

Weight gain of 5 pounds in one week (fluid retention)

Lasting loss of appetite or rapid weight loss of five pounds in a week

Fatigue that interferes with your daily activities

Headache that does not go away

Painful, red, or swollen areas on your hands or feet.

No bowel movement for 3 days or you feel uncomfortable

Extreme weakness that interferes with normal activities

Sexual Problems and Reproduction Concerns

Pregnancy warning: This drug may cause very harmful effects on an unborn child. Mitomycin should never be used by women who are pregnant or who could become pregnant while taking the drug. Even 1 dose taken by a pregnant woman can cause these very harmful effects. Your healthcare team will talk to you and give you written information about this risk.

Breast feeding warning: It is not known if this drug passes into breast milk. For this reason, women should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of breast feeding during treatment with this drug because this drug may enter the breast milk and badly harm a breast feeding baby.

Sexual problems and reproduction concerns may happen. In both men and women, this drug may affect your ability to have children. This cannot be determined before your treatment. Talk with your doctor or nurse if you plan to have children. Ask for information on sperm or egg banking.

For help in finding a doctor or health service that suits your needs, call the UPMC Referral Service at 412-647-UPMC (8762) or 1-800-533-UPMC (8762). Select option 1.

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